Which tuscan towns to visit?
 

My husband and I are returning to Italy in two months for a few days and are going to be in Tuscany for 3 days and Rome for 2 Days (We missed much of Rome due to a bad flight experience and wanted to revisit). We are staying at Palazzo Squarcialupi in Castellina in Chianti for the three days. Flight is into Rome and taking a car to Castellina. We have been to Florence (2 days) and Siena as well as San Gim and various towns in the chianti area. We were thinking of Lucca this trip and maybe Orvieto on the way to Castellina. Where else would you recommend? We plan on returning again many times, but are interested in hearing what towns are your favorite for this trip.

Oh, I have looked things up on slowtrav and the site, so please don't yell at me for asking. I'm looking for small towns that we can explore in a half day or so and my husband and I really love wine tasting-we loved Verrazzano in Greve, for instance. We are fans of very small towns, for example we did not really enjoy the size of Florence (thought the art was fabulous) or the atmosphere in San Gim-too crowded with tourists I guess.

Montepulciano, Monticchiello, Pienza, San Quirico, Montalcino - don't miss these towns - none better in Tuscany, IMHO.

Castelmunzo, Petroio, Montisi, just north of Pienza.

Sorano, Sovana, and Pitigliano in very southern Tuscany. Orvieto, of course.

Stu Dudley

Hi Gree,

If you like REALLY small and very unique, visit Civita di Bagnoreggio, near to Orvieto. This is a town often seen in photos of Italian countryside. You have to walk there. No other options.

Nothing to do there except enjoy the view and stroll around. Good for a 3 hour visit.

Buon viaggio!

Thanks for your recomendations! We are going to try to get to Montalcino, Pienza and montepulciano and to Orvieto and civita Bagnoregio. Should we try to go up to Lucca one day? Any other towns there, except Pisa that are good to visit and small?
Also, Dayle, for Civita do you park ouside somewhere and walk into the town? It looks like it is still a pretty good distance from Orvieto. (maybe a stupid question-sorry)
thanks!

There's parking right at the foot of the bridge. I think I had to pay a couple of Euros. As I can recall, it's not more than around 15-20 minutes from Orvieto, maybe 30 at the most. It's a must see in my opinion.

Up in the town there is an old olive oil press that was converted into a small cafe. Stop in and have a glass of wine -- it's nothing fancy. ((b))

Thanks Budman. Do you think we'll have enough time to see Civita and Orvieto on the way to Castellina? I think it's about an hour into the trip if I remember correctly. I know Orviteo is right off the A1. We arrive into rome at 10am from Cincinnati and both sleep very well on airplanes, so we'd be ok and not too tired. Or would you save one for the way back into Rome three days later? I thought Orvieto might be a good stop on the way and hoped to be in Castellina in time for an 8 pm dinner (we are going in april, by the way)

I would visit Orvieto on the way up, have lunch, and visit Civita on the way back. I don't think you'll have time to do both. ((b))

If you arrive in Rome at 10:00, by the time you go through immigration, retrieve your bags, and rent a car, it will be about 11:30 or so. Orvieto is 1 1/2 hrs away, so that will get you there at 1:00 - just in time for the 2 1/2 hr lunch closing for most shops. The touristy ones (but still nice) around the Duomo will be open, but most others will be closed.

Perhaps visit Ostia Antica near the airport first. Then drive up & try to get to Orvieto at 2:30. Visit the Duomo first, the open shops near the Duomo, and the other stores/sites later. It's probably 2+ hrs to Castellina from there.

To whet your appetite, take the very beautiful N146 from the Chianciano/Chiusi exit, west to San Quirico, then up the N2 to Castellina. The scenery on the N146 doesn't get pretty until you get near Montepulciano - and then it gets spectacular. I'm betting you will scrap your Lucca plans & return to explore this area more thoroughly. We've spent weeks just driving around aimlessly, enjoying all the small villages, and the beautiful countryside.

Stu Dudley

When you go to Orvieto, stop first at the tourist information office across the piazza from the Duomo. Get tickets there to see the recently restored Signorelli frescoes inside the cathedral -- they are stunning. Bring binoculars so you can get good closeup views, as many of them are high up.

I think it would be packing in a lot to get off the plane, see Ostia Antica, then Orvieto, and then drive to Castellina. Personally, I would rather try to get to Orvieto in time for lunch (lots of good restaurants there) and relax a bit before jumping in to sight seeing.

For more information about Civita di Bagnoregio, here is a good web site:

http://www.borghitalia.it/borgo_en.php?codice_borgo=445

Inasmuch as this thread has mentioned Orvietoover and over, and in light of the title of this thread, this town is actually NOT in Tuscany. It's in Umbria.

One thing I've learned from traveling to Europe for over 30 years (2-3 trips per year since '99) is that I try to stay VERY active the day I arrive. Also, I never have a big sit-down lunch on the first day - if I do, I'm usually asleep within 2 hours. I also try not to immediatly get off the plane & drive for any lenght of time. That's why I recommended a walking tour of Ostia Antica immediatly after landing in Rome, and trying to avoid Orvieto at lunch time. This works for me, but perhaps not for everyone.

BTW, I'm not a big fan of Civita - I think there are dozens of towns in Tuscany & Umbria that are more interesting, and it's a little hard to find too - we got lost once.

Stu Dudley

I know Orvieto is in Umbria, I'm sure we all do-not the point of the discussion. Do you have any advice billy boy, on the towns in the area that I will be in?

Thanks for the advice Stu and nonnafelice. I was wondering the same thing about Ostia Antica, but will we have time to see it as nonnofelice pointed out? I will take the advice in the N146. I think you are right about not getting to Lucca. I keep meaning to get there because a friend studied there and loved it, but there seems to be more in the southern part of the area-both Tuscany and Umbria.
Thanks again!

Stu, I posted before I saw your response. Thanks and I agree-having a big lunch is a bad idea for us as well. We will likely try Civita on the way back to Rome. We will need a little break before tackling driving in Rome again.

Two good books to read if you haven't already are "Vanilla Beans & Brodo : Real Life in the Hills of Tuscany" by Isabella Dusi (about Montalcino) and "The Hills of Tuscany" by Ferenc Mate (Montepulciano). The Dusi book is especially good for giving you a good understanding of the history of the region, from the viewpoint of present everyday life in the small town.

Thanks-I have read "The Hills of Tuscany", but will look for the other!

Gree65: No advice here that's not already given - just making sure that stray readers do not mistake Oriveto to be in Tuscany. However, I'll just mention that we found Civita to be one heck of a unique town to view and to visit.

We stayed at the most wonderful hotel/B&B near Montepulciano, La Saracina http://www.lasaracina.it/tour/eng_tour1.htm I don't know you budget, but it was my favorite place I ever stayed in Italy and I have been there 7 times.

Panucci thanks for the hotel recommendation. We'll try to stay there in the future. this time we have booked in Castellina because they were so good to us last time (our luggage was lost for days and they finally were able to get it for us!) and we loved the town! Billy boy, sorry if I can across sharp-people can be really harsh sometimes on the board and it's hard to tell the meaning sometimes. Sorry :)

thanks to evryone for your advice! I think I'll have plenty to keep us busy!

Call it reverse snobbery, but we dubbed our affliction "'TM' squared": Too Much Tuscan Magnificence. Daunted by Florence, sated in Siena, we craved a haven from splendor - simpler fare, elbow room, a window into Italian daily life amidst architecture that didn't dwarf us -somewhere a couple of vacationing introverts could kick back, read up, set out from and settle back in at the end of the day. Montisi was just the ticket.

In the rolling woodland and farmland of southeastern Tuscany, an hour from Siena and half an hour's drive on winding country roads from such famous hilltowns as Montepulciano, Pienza, and Montalcino, perches the ancient hillvillage Montisi, presently holding about 400 souls. From the olive groves and vineyards at its feet, it's only another picturesque stony jumble of buildings with a modest church tower. Its single narrow street veers off from a two-lane blacktop and follows the crest of a ridge for perhaps a quarter mile. Along this thread are strung stone and stucco homes, two bar-caffes, a bakery, alimentari, trattorie, a postoffice, an ATM, four cavernous medieval neighborhood halls where flags fly and traditional meals are cooked and served during the frequent festas, and a beguiling small hotel, a Locanda, whose mottled façade sports its own Madonna.

The unassuming Locanda di Montisi is owned and run by Roberto Crocenzi, the sort of native host and guide that travelers dream of finding. Roberto decided a few years back to forsake his corporate career in order to follow his true calling and vision of hospitality by becoming a restauranteur, a sommelier, and now a hotelier. His English is excellent, his experience is wide, and he is a charming, warm, funny, caring, knowledgeable host. Whatever you want, or want to know about, he will provide it, find it, research it, facilitate it, give you the inside story on it, or connect you with someone who can. He is open to all kinds of inquiries, ranging from regional history, ballooning excursions, local festas and sagras (Montisi features a joust, and the Festa dell’Olio, for starters), hiking trails or the shortcut to Montepulciano, to where to find help for a dental emergency; and of course he is an invaluable guide to the area’s restaurants, wines, and artisan foods. His very fine website is in both Italian and English, and you can make arrangements with him by email.

The narrow, 3-story Locanda faces the town’s one piazza – really, a piazzetta -- and has 7 spacious rooms with big modern bathrooms, plenty of heat and hot water (we were there in the fall, when it mattered) fluffy towels, a cozy cantina breakfast room, and windows onto the low-key street-life. The townspeople are remarkably open and friendly to strangers. The two lovely women who run the main alimentari stock great local cheeses and salumi, fresh produce, canned goods and wine – in short, you needn’t go far to put together a world-class picnic to take on your walks out of town.

From the piazzetta one strand of road winds steeply downward between stone walls, gardens and cherry trees, on through olive groves and vineyards, then rises through dense leafy woods to the next hilltop and Castelmuzio. A second strand curls up from Montisi’s core and around the crown of the Castello quarter, a spotless walled realm of medieval stone houses. With the little church from whose doorway shines a Madonna and lily mosaic, this neighborhood forms a topknot on the hill rising midway along Montisi's ridge. From here you look out over the surreal Crete Senesi, languid flowing farmlands studded with stone farmhouses, spiked with black cypresses -- fertile clay fields changing color and texture with seasons, the weather, the hour.

Basta! Clearly, this small corner of Tuscany, the town of Montisi, and the Locanda di Montisi get my highest recommendations. Buon viaggio!


Mara Gattara

Thanks, Gree65, for starting this thread. There is another one I started last year on the quaintest villages in Chianti you may want to read.

We leave in 8 days now, and I'm taking all this info with us.

Thanks to all.

Dog Mother

I agree with Mara that Montisi is a very sweet town. I stayed there two times for a week at a time and liked it very much.

I recently returned from another villa week in that area, this time in Castelmuzio. It is even smaller and, to me, even more charming. It has a bar/restaurant/hotel, three churches and a COOP. It also has a post office which is sometimes open. There is a park bench at the edge of town where one can sit and contemplate the beautiful countryside.

I have traveled a lot but I think there is no more beautiful place than southern Tuscany.

Spoleto! Take cab from train station to the Rocco (tour if you wish). See the incredible Ponte Torre, Duomo, market square and keep working your way back down hill. Wonderful town!

others ???

Just topping.

It seems the replies are more about Umbria than Toscana........ just back from 5 weeks and consider Lucca the best big town and Barga the best Village and they are within 50 mins of each other. Barga is easy to traverse a loverly run up the Serchio Valley...... if you have time the trip thru to Massa up the Garfagnana Valley puts you onto the road Michaelangelo spent 2 years making to see the marble in a spellbinding light. Lucca had the Italian culture Florence lacks.